Review: Toshiba Satellite T135 laptop

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Toshiba’s Satellite T135 is a new entry into the CULV (consumer ultra-low voltage) segment. If you don’t follow the notebook market then what you’ll want to know is that it’s a thin-and-light system that is on the thinner and lighter side of the market yet remains rather affordable. It’s a step up from a netbook without the expense of a true ultraportable, which would be powered by an expensive Intel ULV processor. Consumer’s familiar with the segment might draw some parallels between the T135 (and the smaller T115) and HP’s dv2 or dm3z, though those use AMD’s competing platform. A more direct competitor would be HP’s dm3t.

The T135 has a 13.3-inch display and has a starting weight of 3.88 pounds. The notebook is 12.7 x 8.78 x 0.87-1.35-inches so it spans from being quite thin to on the thick side (for the class) at the back thanks largely to a battery bulge. That battery is a 6-cell though, and Toshiba says it can power the T135 for 9 hours.

As tested the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310RD arrived with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, a dual-core Intel Pentium SU4100, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB of storage (5400RPM), Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M integrated graphics, and a 13.3-inch HD Trubrite LED backlit display. This build is the dual-core SKU and sells for $649 and Toshiba’s lists it as the T135’s “best selling” model. The T135 starts out at $599 but at that point you are getting a single-core SU2700 processor, so making the jump to $709 will make sense for most people. As far as external features, the T135 has VGA, HMDI, 3 USB slots, a card reader, mic/headphone jacks, webcam, and ethernet. Communications are handled by wireless b/g/n. This SKUdoes not have Bluetooth while the more expensive T135 builds do.

A system like the T135 makes so much sense right now thanks to its being timed with the release of Windows 7. This OS is optimized for use on systems with limited power like this and it will run better than Vista given the limited resources made available by the CULV processor and integrated graphics. Toshiba also took the chance to showcase it’s environmental efforts as well–the T135 has EPEAT Gold status, is EnergyStar 5.0 certified, is RoHS compliant, and uses LED-backlighting which is mercury-free.

On the hardware side, the T135 is very much a consumer thin-and-light. It’s reasonably thin (but gets bulky towards the rear) and the sub-4 pound weight is a nice perk, especially for people who are used to using the heavier machines that are typically found in the $500-$700 price range. The build quality feels good but is without any major surprises, which is to say that it’s primarily made of plastic and features the cost-conscious material choices found on the Satellite series, HP’s Pavilions, and Dell’s Inspirons. The 13.3-inch display allows for a full-sized keyboard that is comfortable to type on with a smart layout, but by no means best-in-class. All the functions (volume, media playback, brightness, radio on/off) are double-mapped as opposed to cluttering the interior with extra keys or controls. The red coloring is a nice change of pace, but it won’t be for everyone so there is a black option as well.

The T135 does not have an optical drive. This isn’t strange for the CULV segment, but isn’t generally the case with 13.3-inch notebooks. This isn’t a serious problem, but it will be an issue for some people. Unlike some of the competition a USB optical drive is not included, but one is available from Toshiba for $99.

During usage the T135 generally performed up to expectations. It has a good enough keyboard/trackpad, and a nice display if you can get past the gloss. Windows 7 runs well and consumers won’t have any problems doing day-to-day takes, like light desktop work, internet multi-tasking, or watching online video. The 1366×768 display means that you can run 720p HP video, and video (such as an Apple HD trailer) actually ran well, as did YouTube HD and a few other sources. The trackpad smartly supports multi-touch, but it’s small enough that this isn’t something that many people will be taking advantage of.

The Satellite T135 is not a very powerful system but that’s not the point of the CULV class–these are built for portability without the expense of an ultraportable. The important thing is that they offer enough power, whereas a netbook might not, depending on what you are doing with it. The SU4100 should offer a nice performance gain over the single-core SU2700 though, and it feels pretty snappy once the system is up and running. The boot time isn’t as fast as it would be with a more powerful processor and tasks like software installations aren’t as quick as they could be, but general operations felt fine.

There were some issues with the T135 though. Some are minor and some aren’t, but they are worth understanding before buying the system. The first is the button below the trackpad. Rather than doing two separate buttons Toshiba opted for a single very wide rocker button. Because of how it’s constructed there is a single button but only the outer thirds are clickable, making for a dead section in the middle. It’s an annoying design which isn’t helped by the use of faux chrome. Another significant issue is the display which has a serious case of the wobbles. The light lid and small hinges make for a screen that shakes for some time after any nearby movement, with more serious disturbances causes shaking for over 2 seconds at times. The speakers are extremely weak so anyone considering media playback should bring along headphones. As for a smaller issue, the system uses a poorly chosen green power LED as the only blemish on the interior above the keyboard. It would have been easy, and so much nicer, to go with a blue, white, or matching red.

The T135 did surprisingly well during battery life testing. The system was supposed to last for 9 hours and it was dependable for about 7-8 hours, varying on circumstances. Under standard mobile conditions, with the backlighting at 50% and WiFi on, the users should expect to get right around 8 hours of battery life from the T135 with this build.

Toshiba Satellite T135, at $709, has a lot of offer consumers. It’s portable and versatile, while remaining affordable, and it’s a competitor in the CULV field. At this point the CULV market isn’t packed, but there are some other strong players, including systems from MSI, HP, Lenovo, and Asus that are appealing. Amongst these the T135 mostly stands out for it’s pricing, but this comes along with some troublesome issues such as the weak speakers and floppy hinges. In total these might have consumers wishing they had spent a bit more. Even so, it’s a good computer at a nice price so it’s worth investigating if you need portability on a budget.